Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
by Vol lady
Summary: Nick needs help on a cattle drive while Heath has gone to New York with Jarrod. Nick is not a happy man.
1. Chapter 1

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

Chapter 1

Jarrod slapped the reins at the horse, and he and Heath took off in the buggy, heading first to Stockton, then by train to Chicago and New York. Heath turned around and waved good-bye. Victoria and Audra returned the wave enthusiastically. Nick did not return it at all.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Nick, stop acting like a little boy who's not allowed to go to the picnic," Victoria said to him.

Nick had been scowling all morning. "I'm just wondering how I'm going to keep things together around here without Heath."

"Like he said, you did just fine without him for years," Audra said.

"But I had Jarrod then – and who are we going to turn to now for the paperwork end of this operation, huh?" Nick asked.

"It's not like they're leaving forever," Victoria said. "Two weeks will fly by, and anything Jarrod would have had to work on can wait, I'm sure."

"You better be right," Nick grumbled. "I feel real out in the rain on my own around here."

Victoria patted him on the arm. "I'm sure you'll do just fine."

"And if you get shorthanded, I'll help out," Audra said.

Nick gave her a "you've got to be kidding" look.

XXXXXXX

"You know, Nick," McCall said, "I gotta be honest with you. This past week, with Heath being gone, you've been so surly, I've almost been ready to tell your mother on you."

McCall made the remark when he was sure none of the other hands would hear him. Nick was the boss, and you don't embarrass the boss in front of the other men.

Standing near the chuck wagon and eating lunch, Nick was not inclined to put his fork down and belt his long-time foreman and friend, so he just made a "thanks for nothing" face and let it go at that.

"Seriously," McCall said, "we're shorthanded, but it's not that bad. We're doing just fine, and we'll have this herd to the army as promised."

"I know that," Nick said, "but we're shorthanded enough that we don't have any margin for error. We can't have any more mistakes. We've already had too many."

McCall cast a look at the three men he knew Nick was blaming for what mistakes had been made. Hours lost chasing down strays that would never have gotten away, but for these three men. More hours lost rounding up horses that one of these three hadn't tethered properly during a meal break. McCall couldn't blame Nick for being angry. Nick had been the one to hire these three in the first place and he was reluctant to admit to the mistake and can them.

It might have been different if these guys were new hands, but they had been with the ranch for a couple months. They knew the ropes. They should have known how to work a drive as short as this one was going to be. They were just getting very careless.

"I'd let them go, but we don't have the men to spare," Nick said.

"I don't think it's come to that, yet," McCall said.

"No, but one more misadventure with these three, and I might just change my mind."

"Well, remember one thing," McCall said. "You are a little raw around the edges, so maybe cut them a little slack."

"I'm not raw around the edges. I'm just – "

"Mad that Heath isn't here."

"Yeah. I don't know what got into him – going off to New York with Jarrod. Don't know what got into either one of them."

"Well, they both deserve a break. Jarrod's been having a tough couple of years, and Heath's been working day and night since he got here five years ago. Give them a couple weeks together. Do them both a lot of good, and it's half over now anyway."

"McCall, when did YOU last take two weeks off?"

McCall scratched the side of his face. "Well, I think it might have been when your father was alive and my sister got sick."

"That's what I mean," Nick grunted, put his place aside on the chuckwagon and walked away. "Come on, you men who call yourselves drovers! Let's get back to moving these cattle before they grow roots!"

XXXXXXXX

Everything went well over the afternoon. Nick kept an eye on the problem hands, but they seemed to be doing all right, and the herd was moving right along toward the rendezvous point with the army. Pleased with the progress, Nick eased off over the afternoon.

The sun began to go down, so they halted the herd and set up camp for the night. The man in charge of the chuck wagon – older man named McAdam – started the food going and as darkness set in, they all began to drink coffee and eat good roasted beef.

That was when the horses got loose.

Several men went running for them, but that only spooked the horses more. Others joined in, some trying to catch the horses, others trying to keep them away from the cattle so as not to start a stampede there.

They got lucky. They were able to catch the horses and calm them down within a few minutes, and before long they had the tether line secure and all of the horses calm and settling in.

That was when Nick exploded. "Who the hell set up this tether line in the first place?"

"It was Pitt," one of the men said.

Pitt was the same man responsible for not handling the tether line properly the last time the horses got away during the meal break.

"Get some food and collect you pay and get out of here," Nick said flatly.

His two buddies asked for their pay, too. Nick didn't like that three men were leaving the crew, but given it was the three men who were the worst hands, it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

After they were paid off and gone, McCall joined Nick for a last cup of coffee and said, "We really need to do something to replace at least one of these guys."

"Why?" Nick asked. "They were worse than worthless anyway."

"No, they weren't," McCall said. "They all could drive cattle well. I'd make a suggestion, but you probably won't like it."

"Go ahead," Nick said. "I'm not liking most of everything right now anyway."

"Take McAdam off the chuck wagon."

"What good will that do? I'd just have to put somebody else on the chuck wagon."

"Well, I got a suggestion you won't like about that, too."

"What?"

"Go get Audra."

"What?!"

Nick's voice was so loud, everyone in camp looked up at him, and the horses moved nervously. At least the tether line held.

McCall spoke more softly. "She can cook, and she can drive the wagon. She was on a drive when she was a kid, so she knows what it's like."

"She's not a kid anymore," Nick said, more quietly. "Having a grown woman on a cattle drive is – crazy!"

"We can keep an eye on her, and there are five or six men around here you can count on to see she's not bothered by any of the others," McCall said. "It'll only be two nights at most. She'll be all right."

Nick kept shaking his head, but he really had no words to argue with. He just did not want to expose his sister to this atmosphere of – men!

McCall said, "Go back to the house tomorrow. Talk to her and to your mother. If your mother refuses, well there we are, but if she okays the idea – well, your mother knows the risks out here and she knows your sister. Give it a shot anyway, Nick."

Nick sighed. He had no argument against just asking, and McCall had a strong argument for it. Nick ran a hand through his hair and gave in.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Mother?!"

Victoria was already entering the foyer, but was surprised to see that Nick was there. "Nick, I thought you'd be with the herd until you delivered it to the army. What are you doing here?"

"I need something," he said, wondering how to phrase it.

"What's that?"

"Where's Audra?"

"Right here," she said, coming in from the kitchen. "What do you need?"

"You," Nick said.

"Me?"

Nick nodded. "I have a manpower problem. I need to take McAdam off the chuck wagon, and I need somebody to replace him."

"Oh, I'd love to!" Audra said quickly. "I haven't been on a drive since I was a little girl!"

"Well, wait a minute, you're not a little girl anymore," Victoria said.

Nick understood. "McCall and I will both look out for her."

"What makes you think I need you to look out for me?" Audra asked.

"All right, McCall and I will both make sure you aren't bothered by any of this rabble I call a crew, so we'll be looking out for them," Nick said, being more blunt.

Victoria looked back and forth between the two of them.

Nick said. "We'll deliver the day after tomorrow, because if we're late there are penalties in the contract, and I don't want to have to pay them. If we're more than three days late, the contract is void, and we're out the sale of the herd altogether, so I really need help. You can come too, if you want, Mother."

Victoria immediately raised her hands as if to push him away. "No, thank you very much." Then she shrugged. "Audra, I'll leave it up to you, but remember cooking for a crew of dirty hungry trail drivers isn't the same as cooking in the kitchen here."

"Oh, I know," Audra said. "Let me get some things together and I'll be ready in twenty minutes."

She ran up the stairs, and Nick watched her go, if only to avoid his mother's stern gaze. But ultimately, he had to see it. She didn't have to say what her eyes said. _If anything happens to that girl –_

"I'll look out for her, Mother, I promise," Nick said. "I'll fire anybody who even looks cross-eyed at her."

"You'd better, Nick," Victoria said. "She's a beautiful girl. I don't know all the men who work for you."

"I do. I'll keep them under control, and Audra will be back here in a couple of days just bubbling over from having been on a trail drive."

Victoria pointed at him. "When the drive is done, bring her straight home. Understand?"

Nick nodded, beginning to think this really was a stupid idea McCall had, but he said, "Understood."

XXXXXXX

The transformation in his baby sister threw Nick for a loop. Nick had expected her to come down looking like she normally looked for an easy ride around the ranch – fresh, feminine riding clothes, hair loose and ready to catch the wind, fresh make-up, looking every bit the beautiful girl of privilege she was.

He was wrong.

She was dressed in old jeans and a workman's shirt, and boots that had seen better days. She had her hair pulled back and tucked up under an old hat– Nick thought it might have been one of his own old hats. She wore no makeup at all, but he liked her that way.

But the biggest transformation was that she was no longer a girl. She was a woman. Maybe it was the lack of make-up or the older clothes, but he could have sworn he saw shapely arm muscles under that shirt. Why hadn't he noticed anything like that before?

"Let's go!" she said and led the way out the door.

Nick had her ride a good cutting horse out to the herd, now about eight miles away, and again he was surprised. He knew she could ride, but had no idea she could handle a cutting horse. It almost seemed that at some point she had handled a herd before, but no, that was crazy.

When they arrived where the herd was moving along, Nick immediately took McAdam off the chuck wagon, gave him Audra's horse, and put her on the wagon. Again, he was amazed – she climbed up, took the reins and had the wagon rolling within seconds. She had no trouble at all driving the team – and yes, those were muscles he had seen under that shirt. Her arms and shoulders were outlined by the fabric of the shirt she wore. Where had she developed those kinds of muscles? Or was that something that happened when a girl turned into a woman?

And maybe it was because she was excited about doing this job, or maybe it was the lack of makeup, but her face glowed, even as it started to accumulate trail dust and the strain of driving the team began to add lines.

He decided not to mention the lines.

When they stopped for the noon meal, McAdam helped her get the coffee going and the food started, but she didn't really need a lot of help. Where she had learned the things she was doing, Nick had no idea. How did she know how much water was going to be needed for coffee? Why didn't she need help carrying it from the nearby stream? Was she really as strong as it appeared?

McCall said, "Boy, your sister knows her stuff. Where did she learn how to get the food together for all these men?"

"I don't know," Nick said. "She came on one drive with us, but she was only ten or eleven at the time. Remember?"

"Did she hang around with the chuck wagon back then?"

"Yes, she did, come to think of it, but she can't be remembering all that now. Can she?"

McCall shrugged. "I'll go see if she wants some help."

McCall went over as she was getting the several coffee pots ready to receive water. Audra was all smiles, saying, "Hello, Mr. McCall," as she continued her work.

"You need me to do any heavy lifting for you?" McCall asked.

"No, I'm managing. Just a couple small adjustments."

"You know, you're surprising the heck out of your brother over there. He didn't think you could pull this off."

Audra stopped for a moment and pushed some stray hair out of her face. "Nick always underestimates me."

"Well, if you do need help, don't be afraid to ask for it."

"I won't."

McCall left her to her work, and the coffee and food were ready almost as fast as McAdam ever managed. They both tasted a LOT better.

After the meal, the cleanup went just as smoothly, and Audra had the chuck wagon rolling with the herd as fast as McAdam had. Things went so smoothly during the afternoon that they were able to get the herd farther along than planned. Nick estimated they would deliver to the army by noon the next day.

And more important, none of the hands were bothering Audra in any way. They were friendly, polite, more well-behaved than they would have been had she not been around. Nick started wondering if he should always bring Audra along on the drives, to handle the chuck wagon.

No…..


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Nick couldn't believe his good luck. The herd was moving along without any problems at all. Audra drove the chuck wagon without difficulty, even when the small ravines and ruts over a couple roads seemed too nasty for her to handle. Where had she learned to drive a wagon like that?

Nick began to wonder if there were whole months of her life that he had just missed somehow. Had could she possibly have learned these things? If she had been a boy, he would have been the one to teach them to her. How did she learn them without him? Had Heath worked with her somehow when he wasn't looking? No, how could that be? When he and Heath were working a herd, they were always within view of each other, and Audra was never around. Certainly Jarrod didn't teach her anything. He hadn't worked a drive in years, and he wouldn't remember how – would he?

When they stopped for the night, the evening meal went flawlessly. Again, Audra showed that somehow, she knew exactly what she was doing. The food was solid and the cleanup, although it took a little longer than McAdam might have done it, was over long before the men began to turn in.

Finally, Nick had to know. When Audra was finished with her work, Nick took her aside to a quiet spot. She was tired, but not exhausted. On the contrary, she looked happy about her fatigue. Nick just shook his head about it. "I don't get it. You handle that rig and you handle the meals like you've been doing it all your life. How are you doing this?"

Audra took her hat off and let her hair loose, running her hands through it. "A girl's got to have some secrets, Nick," she said with a smile.

"No, no, no," Nick said. "I'm not settling for any secrets. You haven't been on a drive since you were a little girl, and you can't possibly remember anything you might have picked up then."

"Why can't I?"

"Because! You were – a little girl! You didn't even do anything on that drive – "

"I certainly did. You just didn't notice. You were too busy trying to impress Father with how much you knew. You never paid me the slightest bit of attention."

"But on this drive, I've asked you to do things you weren't doing on that one."

Audra put a hand on her hip. "Nick, I've been around chuck wagons plenty of times, sometimes on a drive, sometimes not. Just because I came to watch for an hour or so and didn't go on the drive with you doesn't mean I didn't learn anything."

"All right, then, where did you get the muscles to handle that team? What have you been doing? Moving furniture in your spare time?"

Audra laughed. "Nick Barkley, you've been my brother for all of my 22 years, and what you know about me doesn't amount to a hill of beans. And what you know about WOMEN doesn't amount to a hill of beans."

"Now, wait a minute – "

The argument was suddenly interrupted by gunfire.

Men immediately jumped up and ran for their horses. Nick took off, leaving Audra behind. The main thought now in any man's head was whether the herd was going to stampede, followed rapidly by trying to find out where the gunfire was coming from.

Audra knew her duties were to keep the chuck wagon horses calm and out of the way, and to look out for herself if the herd did stampede and threaten her position. She tried to deal with both at the same time, moving the horses together toward some higher ground less than 50 feet away. She couldn't see what was happening in the dark, but she could hear the thunder of hooves – both horses and cattle, and she could tell the difference. They drowned out the sound of men shouting things to one another and to the cattle.

It was clear quickly that the herd was stampeding away from her, not toward her. As the sound began to move away, she tethered the chuck wagon horses again, and she listened hard into the dark. The noise was still moving away. She was alone here now with only the light of several campfires as company, and all she could do was wait.

Except suddenly there was movement beyond the farthest fire. Audra did not like it. None of the men should be here, and it was not cattle she was seeing. There was a rifle in the footwell of the wagon. She quickly pulled it out and cocked it.

"Better drop that, cookie," a man's voice said.

Audra saw there were three men in the faint light of the fire. They were moving apart from one another, but still toward her. She knew she didn't have a prayer of defending herself against three men so far apart, but she held onto the rifle.

"Put it down now," another voice said.

She sighed and pitched the rifle onto the ground behind her. "Better run while you can," she said. "The men will be back any moment, and if you do anything to me, there's going to be more than one of them who will kill you."

She wasn't really bluffing. She could hear that the noise from the stampede was quieting down, and not just because it was moving farther away.

But her voice must have startled the three men. She heard them mutter something to each other. She took advantage of their attention being on one another and backed up a bit, toward the horses she had tethered less than 20 feet away, toward the rifle even closer.

She was trembling badly and angry with herself for doing it, but there was nothing she could do to stop it. She felt her foot touch the rifle that she had tossed behind her and she stopped there. Now it was directly in back of her, and the horses were maybe 17 feet away.

The question was, how to get to the rifle before they shot her?

"Well, Missy," one of the men said. "A woman on a trail drive – Barkley must be getting really hard up for men."

The men were moving toward her again. She didn't want to back up any further and have to leave the rifle out of her reach.

"I hear some of the men coming back," she said. "You don't have much time to get out of here."

Now she was bluffing, but it halted the men again for a moment. She was able to kick the rifle even further behind her and keep moving back.

They hadn't noticed her kicking motion. They stepped so close to the fire now that she could see them – and she could see that now they were having trouble seeing her, because she was moving back out of the light. She backed up until she felt the rifle behind her again.

And now there were men coming back. Horses were rapidly getting closer.

The three men quickly disappeared out of the firelight. Audra bent and picked up the rifle, then took cover behind the chuck wagon. She didn't know where the intruders went, only the direction they took, but she didn't hear horses from that direction.

Nick and McCall suddenly appeared in the firelight. "Audra?!" Nick yelled.

"Nick, find cover!" Audra yelled. "Three men to your left!"

Gunfire kept them from hearing all of her instructions. She saw the flash of guns coming from her right, where the intruders had gone, and she fired at it. She saw Nick and McCall firing, too, and then she saw them advance in that direction. She stopped firing, afraid of hitting them.

The gunfire and the muzzle flashing continued for another ten or fifteen seconds, and then all was quiet. She didn't know what had happened. She couldn't see anyone, and she couldn't hear anything. She was afraid to make a sound and so she didn't call for Nick or McCall. She crouched behind the chuck wagon and waited, and watched.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Waiting seemed interminable. Nothing was moving out there, and there was no noise. Where were Nick and McCall? Where were those other men? Audra kept waiting, kept looking, kept the rifle cocked and ready.

Then suddenly there was movement coming from her right, moving into the firelight. She saw two men, dragging a third. She looked closely. She saw Nick's familiar form in the firelight, standing and looking over the man he'd been dragging.

"Audra?!" he yelled, frightened.

"I'm here," she said right away and hurried toward him, still carrying the rifle.

Nick put an arm around her as soon as he saw her. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she said. "Just scared."

McCall was stooping down to the fallen man. "This is Pitt," he said. "And he's dead."

"Oh, my God," Audra said. "I didn't – "

"I don't know," McCall said. "I can't tell in this light, but I don't think so. The bullet's gone right through."

"Honey, if you shot him, you were only defending us and yourself," Nick said.

"Who is he?" Audra asked.

"One of the men I had to fire, one of the reasons you're here," Nick said.

Audra put the butt of the rifle down on the ground, holding the barrel in her right hand. 'Nick, I've never killed anyone before."

Nick held her tighter. "You may not have yet, and like I said, honey, you were only firing to defend yourself, and us."

McCall looked up. "We might owe you our lives."

Audra nodded, accepting the silver lining to the awful dark cloud. "How's the herd?" she asked shakily.

Nick chuckled. "That's the funny part. It stampeded about a mile in the right direction. We're even closer to the army than we were half an hour ago."

"The question is, why did Pitt and his buddies stampede it at all?" McCall asked. "Doesn't make any sense to get that mad over being fired."

"No," Nick said. "It doesn't."

McCall looked up at Audra, then at Nick again. "You don't think they were just trying to get to Audra, do you?"

"No," Audra said quickly. "They didn't know I was a woman. My voice really startled them."

"Besides, that's a stupid way of getting to a woman," Nick said, "and there's a town full of women up ahead anyway. No. They had some other reason for this. We probably won't know what it is unless we get to the other two."

"Who are probably halfway to Nevada if they're smart," McCall said. He stood up. "I'm gonna bury Pitt, Nick."

Nick nodded, and McCall headed to the chuck wagon for a shovel.

Nick squeezed his sister again. "Are you sure you're all right, Audra?"

Audra nodded. "I just hope it wasn't me who killed him."

"We'll probably never know for sure, but I don't think it was. We were laying down more fire than you were."

"Well, in that case, YOU'RE the one who killed him when we tell Mother about this."

Nick chuckled. "We could just not tell her. Listen, I'll send McCall ahead again and stay back here with you tonight. No point trying to move you forward in the dark. I told a few of the men to head back here and collect the men's gear once they got the herd bedded down again, and a couple will stay behind with us. If anybody else tries to stampede the herd, we'll hear it."

"How are we going to find out why these men stampeded the herd in the first place?"

"I don't know. I really don't know."

XXXXXXX

Neither Nick nor Audra slept very well, but nothing else happened during the night. Come sunup, they hitched the team up to the chuck wagon and moved it forward to the herd. Once they were there, things went perfectly well for the morning meal. Nick even found the grace to go up to his sister and kiss her on the cheek as she was cleaning up and storing the utensils.

"I'm sorry I doubted you, Little Sister," he said. "You've handled all this like an old pro, especially all that business last night."

"Thank you, Nick," Audra said. Getting the morning work done had helped her relax and put the trouble last night behind her.

"One more meal and then we'll be heading home," Nick said. "I usually let the hands have a night off and they come wandering back in a day or so on their own."

Audra nodded. "I remember. Trail's End. Isn't that what you call it? Don't you usually stay with them?"

"Well, yes, but – "

"And doesn't the cook also stay?"

Nick immediately took on the look of a terrified older brother. "Now wait a minute. Trail's End is usually pretty rowdy and it's no place for a woman, and I promised Mother I'd bring you straight home."

"Oh, I wouldn't be hanging around in bars or anything like that," Audra said, "but I understand there's often a dance in the town that's expecting the drovers to come in. And I've brought my dancing shoes. And after last night, I sure could use a dance."

"Uh…" Nick said, and he couldn't find any other words. "Well, you sure earned one."

"Tell you what," Audra said. "When we get to Salida, we'll see what's going on and if things look good and I can get a hotel room, we'll stay. If not, you and I will head on home as soon as you complete your sale to the army."

"Oh, Mother's gonna have my head if we stay."

"Well, we simply won't tell her we got the herd in early," Audra said.

"Right," Nick said sarcastically and turned to go to work. He didn't know why he was surprised he had lost this argument. Audra would bat those blue eyes at him, and he would give in every time.

He muttered and growled to himself and got angry all over again that Heath was off with Jarrod having fun in New York City. But on the other hand, he sure was happy that Audra was here with him.

XXXXXXX

The morning drive went so well that they reached the army at Salida even before the noon meal, so Audra's duties were essentially over already. Nick finalized the sale to the army, collected his money, watched the men corral the herd, and then paid them off. None of them except McCall lost a moment at riding into Salida. Nick gave them three days to report back to the ranch at Stockton – they had done very well and they deserved a good chance to cut loose.

But then, there McCall and Audra stood, both smiling. Nick couldn't muster a smile to save his life. He knew what they expected. "Okay," he sighed. "Drive the wagon on into town. We'll see what's going on and if I think it's all right for you to stay, we'll get the horses taken care of at the livery and stay till tomorrow. IF I say it's okay, and WITH the understanding that we will head home tomorrow." Nick waved a finger in Audra's face.

Audra only smiled at him. "Let's go!"

Once they rolled into town, it took less than a minute to find out that Salida was going to be a party town for the next couple days. The arrival of the Barkley hands had caused the locals to pour out of their dull lives. People were already overloading the two saloons in town and spilling out into the street, and the sheriff had spotted Nick before he even got into the livery.

"Nick," he said in greeting. It sounded like a warning.

"Hello, Mac," Nick said to the man he knew well. "Don't worry, I warned them all and if anybody fires a weapon, feel free to lock him up. Anyway, I got my sister here with me, and they've been on their best behavior."

"Hello," the sheriff said to her, taking off his hat. "I'm Jack McCoy. Forgive me, but you're wearing so much trail dust I mistook you for the cook."

"I am the cook," Audra said. "Nick got into a jam and I bailed him out."

"Well," Sheriff McCoy said, "I should be so lucky to have a deputy like you to bail me out."

"We had a little trouble last night, Mac," Nick said. "Audra bailed me out on that one, too."

"Oh? What happened?"

"Man I fired and two others – probably two who went with him – they stampeded the herd. They went after Audra – she held them off until we got back to her, and there was a gunfight in the dark. Audra fired a rifle that way, and we fired, too, and one of us killed a man named Pitt. We buried him out there. Couldn't let the animals get to him overnight."

"Hmm," the sheriff said. "Guess you'd better have somebody show me where."

"I'll take care of that, boss," McCall said.

"Guess my sister could use a dance if there's gonna be one soon," Nick said.

"There will be," the sheriff said. "Tonight, right out here in the street. When we have drovers come in, it seems to keep things a bit more orderly."

"Wonderful!" Audra said. "Nick, I'd like to see if there's any room at the hotel."

"Go ahead, boss," McCall said. "I'll see to the horses, too."

It looked like Audra and McCall had already decided Audra was staying for the night. Nick gave in with a sigh – she had earned it - and Audra grabbed her valise from the back of the chuck wagon.

Together they walked down to the hotel and there were two rooms with bath available. They took them both. Audra was as tickled as a six-year-old on Christmas morning. Content that she would probably spend the rest of the afternoon taking a bath, Nick left her alone with the promise that he would collect her at about six o'clock for dinner, and then the dance.

Nick himself dropped his saddlebags off at his room and then went to the bank to deposit the money from the sale of the herd. That being done, he decided he desperately needed a beer and headed for the nearest saloon.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Nick went to his favorite saloon in Salida and pretty much had to push his way in. There were so many men inside, he knew they couldn't all be his crew. And many of them didn't look like local townspeople. He began to feel a bit uneasy.

When he finally got to the bar, he buttonholed the bartender for a beer and asked, "Say, Lou, who the heck are all these men?"

The bartender said, "I thought they were yours, mostly."

Nick looked around and shook his head. "Maybe half of them are mine, and a handful are locals, but I don't know who the other ones are. You got any other trail drives in town?"

"Who knows? Could be, with the army just outside of town."

"I just delivered to them. They buying from somebody else, too?"

The bartender shrugged. "You'd have to ask them. I know they're buying a lot of beef. Planning on staying around here for a while."

"Hm," Nick grunted. "I could have delivered more than I did. They didn't say they wanted more than the 300 head I just sold them."

"Well, I don't know," the bartender said, and he went on to other customers.

Nick looked around, trying to see if he recognized anybody other than his own men. He gave half a thought to looking for Pitt's two buddies, but he didn't see them at a quick glance, and he decided even they weren't stupid enough to come into Salida knowing Nick would be coming in, too. Nick did recognize a few of the locals, and he figured the men he didn't know who were dressed in suits had to be locals, too.

Still, who were all these other cowboys who looked like they had just finished a drive?

Nick grabbed one of his own men who was happening by. "Ernie?"

Ernie stopped. "Yeah, boss?"

"Who are all these guys? Have you talked to any of them?"

"Yeah," Ernie said. "They came in from the Monroe spread down near Modesto."

"They drove cattle up here?"

"Said they sold 300 head to the army, just like we did. Said they easily could have sold more, but the army didn't want them. They're having to take another 300 head back to Modesto." He chuckled. "Some of them are none too happy about that, but they said their boss took a gamble the army would want more, and he lost."

"Uh-huh," Nick said, thinking. He didn't know a lot about this Monroe fella out of Modesto. He'd only heard the name. But what better way to increase your own sale than to decrease somebody else's – like maybe, spooking the herd or otherwise slowing the drive down so the contract wouldn't be met?

Nick shook it out of his head. He was getting too suspicious about other people.

XXXXXXX

Nick spent quite a while at the saloon, talking to men, listening to what other men were saying to each other, and his suspicions grew even more. He didn't like what he was hearing about this Monroe character. His men were complaining about having to move 300 extra head here to Salida and now back again to Modesto, all because "that crazy Monroe thought he had some plan to get the army to buy them at a bigger price than even the first 300."

To Nick, that was adding up to one thing: Monroe had some plan to make sure the 300 head of Barkley cattle did not make it on time to Salida. Three days late and the Barkley contract could be voided. All Monroe had to do was delay the Barkley herd by three days, and the army would believe there would be no delivery at all. The army would then void the contract and buy the extra 300 head Monroe had ready and waiting for them, at a premium price.

Pitt and his buddies had done everything they could to delay things – it just hadn't worked. That made Nick angry enough, but when it came to gunplay with Audra caught in the middle of it – that made Nick furious.

He went out of the saloon looking for McCall and Sheriff McCoy, figuring they had to be back by now after going out to where the shootout had been the night before. He found them both in McCoy's office, looking at wanted posters.

"Hey, Nick," McCoy said. "Glad you came in."

"I got a complaint I want to talk to you about," Nick said straight out.

"Let it wait a minute," McCoy said.

McCall said, "We dug up Pitt."

"What?!" Nick blurted. "What the heck for?"

"Wanted to bring him in and have the doc look at him, see what might have killed him," McCoy said.

"One of our bullets killed him," Nick said. "We told you that."

"This might be more complicated, Nick. I don't think we're gonna find him among these wanted posters, but I wanted to have a couple men look real close and see if they knew him."

"What men?"

"Men I know and trust, who work for this man Monroe."

"Well, isn't that interesting?" Nick said and looked at McCall. "Monroe is exactly who I wanted to complain about."

"Let me guess," McCoy said. "You think this guy Pitt and his two buddies were working for Monroe, to stop your delivery of the herd to the army."

"So Monroe could sell them those extra 300 head he brought along," Nick completed the thought.

McCoy nodded. "I see we're thinking alike. Where did you hear about the extra 300 head?"

"It's all over town. All you have to do is listen to these Monroe hands. They're complaining like mad. But why would you want to dig Pitt up for that?"

McCall said, "Jack here has an idea that Pitt and his buddies might be doing odd jobs like this for a living. If he can connect Pitt to Monroe and his crazy idea, and if we can identify those other two from wanted posters or from the Monroe hands Jack trusts, then maybe we can bust up this little enterprise Pitt had going and nail Monroe pretty good, too."

"You don't like Monroe," Nick said to McCoy.

"He always brings trouble of some sort to Salida," McCoy said. "Doesn't keep a tight rein on his hands, and they bust something up. Cheats the local merchants every chance he gets. Petty stuff, but this might be something worth nailing him on, if Pitt and his buddies were working for him and went after your herd last night."

"And my sister," Nick reminded him. "That's a pretty big order, Jack."

"Yeah, McCall was telling me your brother Jarrod was back east. I wish he was here. He'd be good at tying all these loose ends together."

"You actually trust some of the Monroe hands?"

"Yeah. They work for the man, but I can trust them. They never get into trouble, and they know the man they work for is not exactly above board all the time."

"You gonna have them look at Pitt?"

"Soon as the doc has him cleaned up and gives me some idea of which of your bullets killed him."

Nick felt uneasy. "Coulda been Audra who killed him. I don't really want to find that out."

"Well, let's see what the doc says. I'm not planning on any inquest, and I don't think anybody's gonna claim Pitt and insist on one. The way I see it, there aren't any charges to be made against any of you."

"It's not really charges I'm worried about. Audra's never killed anyone. She might be playing the tough trail drive cook, but she's still just a girl who doesn't go around shooting at people, much less hitting them. When she's been involved just witnessing killings in the past, it's torn her up pretty bad."

McCall said, "She's got us here to look out for her, Nick. And she's not the little girl she used to be. She's her mama's daughter, and it's starting to come out."

"I hope so," Nick said. "What do you want us to do now?"

"Go have a good time," McCoy said. "Do what you were going to do, but keep your ear to the ground. I'll come find you when the doc is finished with Pitt."

"All right," Nick agreed. "The dance still on for tonight?"

"You bet, and Monroe will probably come." He pointed a finger at Nick. "Keep your temper in check. I don't want Monroe realizing we think he was up to something. If the evidence adds up right, I might be able to get a manslaughter charge on him."

"On him?" Nick asked.

McCoy nodded. "If he gave an order to Pitt and his buddies to spook your herd, he can be held responsible for whatever came out of it, and that means Pitt's death. But don't get your hopes up. It's a real long shot. But we might get enough to scare Monroe into changing his ways in the future, and that would be something."

"All right," Nick said. "I take it you didn't find Pitt in these wanted posters."

McCall shook his head and McCoy said, "No."

"Well, we'll just have to go out, have a few drinks, and keep listening," Nick said to McCall.

"Don't forget we're going dancing," McCall said.

"And go dancing," Nick said.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Nick and McCall went back to the bar that Nick had left, pushing their way in just as Nick had before. There were fewer men here now, but not by a lot. Once inside, they parted company, looking around, listening. It was still almost too crowded to pick out anyone in particular.

Nick spotted a card game going on at a table back in the corner. A couple of his own men were involved, but Nick didn't recognize the others. Two looked like drovers – Monroe's probably. One other man looked like he should have been a drover, but his clothes were better made, less used, like he'd spent less time on the trail.

Nick leaned in to talk to the bartender. "Lou, those guys back at the card table. Do you know who the fella in the blue shirt is, the one with the cigar?"

Lou looked over. "That's that Monroe fella, headed up that other outfit that came in." Then Lou went back to other customers.

Nick took a long, hard look at him. He wanted to remember that face, and he wanted to get into that card game.

He weaved his way back through the crowd and stood behind the two men who worked for him. The table was full, but the look he gave his men showed he was interested in taking a place away from one of them. As one of them folded a godawful hand, he got up, saying, "Take my chair, Nick. I don't feel like losing any more of my pay."

Nick sat down, took a cigar out of his shirt pocket, and lit it up. In a moment, the man to his right – a drover he did not recognize - collected the cards and began to shuffle, to start another hand. He had Nick cut them.

"The game is five card draw," the man said. "Ante is two dollars, limit is 20."

Nick anted up. The drover dealt.

Monroe said, "I don't recognize you, friend. You with the Barkley outfit?"

Nick nodded. "I'm Nick Barkley." He collected the cards dealt to him and looked at Monroe over top of them. "You would be - ?"

Monroe said, "Theo Monroe. I brought in the other herd."

"I hear you'll be taking some back," Nick said.

Monroe shrugged. "I always bring more than the contract calls for. Sometimes it works out – the army needs more than they originally asked for. This time it didn't work out. We'll head home tomorrow."

The man to Nick's left opened. Nick didn't have much of a hand, but he saw the bet, as did everyone else. Nick asked for three new cards. They made for a better hand – three deuces. When the betting came around again, Nick bet five dollars.

Monroe raised him by ten dollars, saying, "I hear you had a little trouble last night, Nick. 

The two men between Nick and Monroe folded. "Guess you could call it trouble, but not for me," Nick said and called. "Three men stampeded the herd – we killed one of them in a shootout, so it was trouble for him. But they stampeded the herd in this direction. Fine for me."

Monroe did not visibly react one way or another, but quietly showed his hand. Two pair, tens and jacks.

Nick showed his hand and took the pot.

Monroe asked, "Any idea who it was who spooked the herd?"

"Yeah," Nick said as he shuffled the cards. "Man I fired and two of his buddies. They were trouble from the get-go. Kept trying to slow me down. If I didn't know better, I'd say somebody hired them to give me trouble."

Nick looked at Monroe as he finished shuffling, then he dealt.

"Got any proof of that?" Monroe asked.

"Not a lick," Nick said, finished dealing and picked up his own cards. "Just a feeling."

"Well," Monroe said and opened for five dollars. "Sometimes we just hire the wrong men."

"Sometimes," Nick said.

The card game went on quietly after that. After playing for half an hour or so, Nick took his fifty dollars winnings and left the bar. McCall let him get out the front door before he followed and caught up to him.

"Got some news," McCall said. "McCoy saw me in the saloon, told me the doc thinks Pitt was killed by a 45."

"Not Audra's rifle. That'll ease her mind at least," Nick said. "Anything else?"

"He got descriptions and names of Pitt's two buddies from me, and he got the local newspaper artist to do a drawing of Pitt. He's gonna circulate them around, see if anybody in town has seen them around here. See if those drovers who work for Monroe that he trusts have seen them around Modesto. Did you learn anything playing poker with Monroe?"

"Yeah. Monroe stinks at poker."

Nick headed by to the hotel. It was time to get cleaned up for dinner and the dance.

XXXXXXXX

A few minutes before six, Nick knocked on Audra's door. She opened it in a matter of seconds.

And oh, my, she looked nice. She was wearing a blue gingham dress with white ribbons, not too fancy but not very plain. Her hair was fresh and clean and falling around her shoulders, and she was wearing make-up again. The cook from the trail drive had turned back into his little sister – no, that wasn't quite right. She was not his little sister anymore, was she? She was a woman now. Nick could see it in her eyes and in her figure.

He smiled. "You look darned beautiful."

She looked him over. He hadn't bathed, but he had washed up and was wearing a clean shirt and neckerchief. She smiled. "You look pretty good yourself. I'm ready."

Nick escorted her out, making sure she locked the door securely behind her. As they walked down the stairs together toward the hotel dining room, Nick said, "I have some good news for you. The sheriff had Pitt dug up and brought back here for the doc to examine. The doc thinks he was killed by a 45 slug, not the rifle you were firing."

"Oh, that's a relief, at least," Audra said.

"A couple other things we ought to talk about before the dance," Nick said.

"What's that?"

"Let's sit down and order something to eat first."

In less than a minute or two, they were seated in the dining room and looking over the menu. Audra ordered some baked chicken, while Nick ordered ham, and as they waited for their food to arrive, Nick leaned toward her so they could talk somewhat privately.

"It seems an outfit from Modesto also brought cattle for the army," Nick said. "Run by a man named Monroe. He brought 300 extra head in the hopes of selling them at a premium price to the army, but when we arrived on time under the contract, that potential sale disappeared."

"Oh," Audra said, thinking. "You think the three men who stampeded the herd last night where trying to keep us from delivering."

"Or slow us down enough that we didn't meet the contract," Nick said. "There are a lot of Monroe's hands in town, probably at the dance tonight. I want you to be careful about who you let on your dance card. If that Monroe fella shows up, I'll let you know. You can dance with him, but I'll be watching like a hawk."

"Do you think there might be more trouble?"

"No, but there might be some information floating around. The sheriff would love to nail Monroe on something because he isn't real above board when he comes to town. McCoy wants to get him to start toeing the line. Just keep your ears open – don't go prodding anybody for information. Just listen to what the guys you dance with might have to say. Whatever you do, don't go asking Monroe questions if he dances with you. I don't think the guy is personally dangerous, but I don't want to take any chances. I'll be there and I'll keep an eye on you."

Audra smiled. "Then I'll relax and have a good time."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Somehow, McCoy was right about the effect a dance would have on a mob of rowdy drovers. Many of them actually washed up for the dance, trying to compete with the locals, no doubt, who could dress up in suits and come all slicked up and shaven. There were so many men they filled up the street for blocks, and since there were far fewer women, the ladies were all smiles. They had their pick of dance partners, and even the homeliest of females was belle of the ball for one evening.

Nick kept a close eye on Audra, happy to see her so happy as she danced with a different man with every tune the fiddle and banjo players played. Nick recognized some of his own men, all smiles themselves at finally getting to spend some time with the boss's sister. Some men he did not recognize, so he kept a closer watch.

Then a sweet young local girl came up to him. "Come on, now, cowboy. You're not going to be the wallflower for the night, are you?"

Nick couldn't help smiling at her. "Well, now, how could a man pass up such a nice invitation?"

Nick took her in his arms and into the street where the dancers were all enjoying themselves.

"My name is Nancy Stevens," she said, loudly enough for him to hear.

"I'm Nick Barkley," he said.

"Oh, it's your outfit that brought the herd in today," Nancy said. "And had the stampede last night."

"News travels fast," Nick said.

"It's the talk of the town," Nancy said. "You had Theo Monroe hopping mad."

"You know Mr. Monroe?"

"No, not really. I just shared some dances with a few of his men. Mr. Monroe would probably have a fit if he knew how many of them were laughing at him."

"Well, I suppose a few of them thought he was a bit foolish to drive 300 extra head on the pure chance that I wouldn't get my herd here."

"From what I've heard, he wasn't banking on pure chance."

"Oh? What have you heard?"

Nancy drew closer. "Well, you didn't hear it from me, but he hired a couple men to start that stampede, and probably try a few other tricks to tie you up, too."

"You heard that from some of his hands, did you? Which ones?"

"Oh, Nick, a girl doesn't kiss and tell."

That was as much as Nancy would tell him, but he did enjoy her as a dance partner. Once the dance was over, Nick went back over to where the refreshments were being served – non-alcoholic punch, various cakes and pies – and looked for Audra again.

She was near the center of the dance area, and Theo Monroe was taking her into his arms for the next dance.

The fiddle and banjo started up, and Nick watched as Theo danced Audra around the street. He was a good sight better as a dancer than a poker player, Nick decided. He wondered if Monroe realized yet that he was dancing with a Barkley.

Oh, yeah, there it was, the surprise on his face. Monroe glanced over directly at Nick, who smiled and gave him a toast with his glass of punch. Monroe finished the dance looking a bit more awkward, and when it was over, he bowed gracefully to Audra and went on his way.

Audra came over to Nick, sitting out the next dance, accepting a glass of punch from him.

"How was your dance with Mr. Monroe?" Nick asked.

"Well, you didn't signal me, so I didn't realize who he was until I told him my name," Audra said. "I didn't learn much of anything from him. He turned very quiet after I told him who I was."

"Figures," Nick said. "I found out a little bit, though. The local gossip says that Monroe was behind Pitt and his buddies starting the stampede last night."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"I'll tell McCoy. He can do whatever he wants with it. I don't think Mr. Monroe is a particularly dangerous character, and I don't think there's ever going to be enough evidence for him to be arrested for what happened to Pitt."

Audra chuckled. "Now you're starting to sound like Jarrod."

"Darned lawyers do rub off on people, don't they?"

"Why don't you and I have the next dance?" Audra asked.

Nick took her drink and put both his and hers down. "Why don't we finish this one, too?"

Nick took her in his arms and out into the street. They had danced together many times before, but somehow, this time, for the first time, Nick felt like he was holding a young woman and not a girl. _She's grown up on you, Barkley,_ he thought to himself. _She's your equal now, not your kid sister._

Nick kind of liked that.

XXXXXX

The dance wound down very slowly. Men began to wander off looking tired, or bored, solo or in groups. Nick kept an eye out, saw some of his own men ride out of town, out to where they had planned to make camp. Other men, Monroe's no doubt, did the same thing.

But Monroe was sticking around, dancing with some of the local girls, talking to his own men and occasionally a local or two. Nick couldn't help wondering what he was up to. He didn't think it was anything dangerous – but then, the work he hired Pitt and his buddies to do didn't start out dangerous either. Now, Pitt was dead. Seemingly petty little jobs could turn nasty very fast.

Nick still watched Audra and wondered how she could be dancing as much as she was and not getting tired. She was obviously having a very good time, but Lord, Nick thought, she's been at this for hours and she looks like she could go for hours more.

The fiddle and banjo player, however, could not. It was close to midnight when they called it a night, calling out their thanks and collecting the money left by the dancers in their tip jar. As soon as they left, the people still in the street wandered off, and Audra came back to her brother.

"Now, you just never wear out, do you?" Nick asked.

"Oh, I was having far too much fun to wear out," Audra said. "I'll sleep well tonight."

Nick noticed Sheriff McCoy headed their way. "And your feet will be sore tomorrow," he said to Audra, and then as McCoy arrived, he said, "Mac. Nice dance. Any trouble?"

"Not a lick," McCoy said. "Thought I'd let you know, quite a few of Monroe's men are saying he hired the men who stampeded your herd."

"Yeah, I've heard the same thing," Nick said.

McCoy grunted. "Monroe's men don't seem to be all that loyal."

"What are you gonna do?" Nick asked.

McCoy shrugged. "The only real harm in all this was to that fella Pitt. I can't really arrest anybody for that. But I can lean on Monroe, and I will."

"Be careful you don't send him over the edge," Nick said. "I don't think he's dangerous really, but I don't want to find out."

McCoy grunted again. "I'll have to mention to him that you killed Pitt. I won't threaten him with arrest, but he still might see a threat in you."

"We're leaving tomorrow morning," Nick said. "Just don't lean on him too hard until we're gone."

"I'll talk to you at the hotel after I talk to him," McCoy said and went out into the street to find Monroe.

"I think we ought to get back to the hotel," Nick said, "before McCoy has his chat with Monroe."

Audra took his arm. "What time do you want to leave in the morning?"

"I'll get McCall to drive the chuck wagon, and you and I will go on horseback." Nick smiled at his sister. "I'll let you sleep in a bit. If you're not up, I'll wake you at eight."

"How long do you think it will take us to get home?"

"Not pushing cattle, we can make it in a day. Bet you're gonna be glad to get there."

Audra smiled. "I will be. But first I have to sort out what we're going to tell Mother, and what we're going to leave out."

Nick laughed. "We haven't gotten into that much trouble. In fact, I'll bet you anything that Jarrod and Heath are gonna have a lot longer list of things NOT to tell Mother than you and I could put together."

They started back to the hotel together, and when they arrived there, about a block away, they saw McCoy talking to Monroe. Monroe was wearing a very nervous smile.

 _I'll be glad to get out of Salida,_ Nick thought, and they went into the hotel without Monroe noticing them.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The knock came at Nick's door only ten minutes after he got to his room. He opened the door a crack and saw McCoy.

"Come on in," he said quietly.

McCoy entered, and Nick closed and locked the door. Taking his hat off, he ran his hand through his hair. "Well, I had my little chat with Monroe."

"What did he say?" Nick asked.

"Not much. Kinda laughed off the idea that I thought he had anything to do with your troubles. Said from what he heard it was just three cowhands who got mad about being fired."

"How did he know there were three of them?"

McCoy smiled. "That's what I asked him. He said he just 'heard.'"

Nick sighed. "Well, where do you want to go with this now?"

"Nowhere. I did what I wanted to do. I can't arrest Monroe or anybody else for this, even if every witness who saw Monroe with Pitt and his buddies came forward. Truth is, there was no real harm to you, and you killing Pitt was self defense, so there's nothing to arrest anybody for."

Nick nodded. "That's the way I see it too, even though it galls me from here to Stockton."

"Well, I told him all that, told him I couldn't arrest him or anybody else, and just told him that I'd be watching him in the future. That's all I really wanted to do. So, I guess you'll be leaving in the morning?"

Nick nodded. "Gotta get my sister home safe, or my mother will have my head."

McCoy chuckled. "Why is it even the toughest hombre around is still afraid of his mother?"

"If you had MY mother, you wouldn't have to ask," Nick said. "I'll see you again next time I'm down this way, Mac."

"You have a safe trip home, Nick," McCoy said as he put his hat on and left.

Nick heaved a sigh, let McCoy out, and closed and locked the door behind him. "I sure hope we do," he said to himself.

He felt uneasy, even though there was no real reason to. Maybe it was just because he was responsible for Audra, and the two of them would be on a long ride home the next day. Maybe it was because Pitt's two buddies were still running around out there somewhere. Maybe it was because he had his doubts about what Monroe would do now.

He shook his head. Monroe wouldn't do anything now that would create a risk to himself – he was home free with Sheriff McCoy. And Pitt's two buddies had to be far away from here – unless they were complete idiots. No, Nick thought. He was just worried about getting Audra home safe.

Nick realized for the first time that he was really exhausted. Falling asleep was no chore tonight.

XXXXXXX

Nick and Audra were up, finished breakfast and on the road by ten in the morning. Audra felt so much happier riding horseback, even though Nick made her tuck her hair up under that old hat again. She thought he was being overly protective, but it made him happier to have her look less appealing as a woman, so she let him have his way.

"But I'm ditching this hat as soon as we get to our property!" she said.

And Nick agreed

XXXXXXXX

Knowing it would take a couple days to get the chuck wagon back to the ranch, McCall was planning to get out onto the road only a couple hours behind Nick and Audra. Before he left town, though, he wanted to check in with Sheriff McCoy.

It turned out the McCoy was looking for him and Nick as well. McCoy and McCall ran into each other in the street, as each was looking for the other one.

"Got some news you and Nick ought to know," McCoy said.

McCall said, "Yeah? Nick's already left town with his sister."

McCoy looked unhappy. "I'm sorry I didn't catch him."

"What's the problem?" McCall asked.

"I got some word on those two men who were with Pitt. Couple of the Monroe hands recognized the pictures we had drawn up."

"I thought it didn't matter much anymore, connecting them to Monroe."

"Well, that's not it. Couple of Monroe's hands spotted them in town last night, not at the dance, just nosing around about the edges."

McCall frowned. "What the heck. Are they crazy, hanging around here? What for?"

"That I don't know, and I don't know if they're still here. How long ago did Nick and his sister leave?"

"Couple hours. You don't think they'd be after Nick, do you? Hell, they'd just as well be after me – I shot at them and Pitt too - and I haven't heard a peep out of them."

"I don't know. Don't know why they were here or whether they're still here, so you keep your eyes open. Maybe I can talk to a couple of your hands and get them to take off after Nick, just in case."

"I'll do that," McCall said, suddenly feeling a lot more urgency. And then even more. "They knew Audra was a woman. You don't think they'd go after Nick and her just because Audra was there, do you?"

Again, McCoy said, "I don't know. Maybe they see Nick and Audra as easy pickings, the two of them on the road alone."

"I better get going and catch up with them," McCall said. He'd get some other hand to drive the chuck wagon back and go after Nick and Audra as soon as he could get going. "Thanks, Mac," he said and gave the sheriff a clap on the arm. "See you next time."

"Look out for yourself," McCoy said as McCall started away on the run.

McCall gave him a nod and a wave.

XXXXXXX

There were several small towns for Nick and Audra to pass through along the way home. Nick was careful to scan every face they came across, no matter where they came across it, but he didn't tell Audra about his general bad feeling. No use worrying her when he didn't know what to worry about.

They stopped in a small town for a noon meal, but Nick just kept itching inside. He didn't know why. But every bend in the road looked like a place to be ambushed, and it made him look out more and urge things along faster. He didn't say anything to Audra – no point in worrying her – but Audra was having itches of her own, and looking out on her own.

It was Audra who spotted the gleam of the sun hitting a rifle barrel. She pulled up hard. "Nick! Ahead, on the right!"

Nick pulled up in time to avoid a rifle shot that landed a few feet in front of his horse. The horse reared and threw him. He landed hard on the road and instinctively rolled to the left, looking for cover.

Audra dismounted and went after him, but now shots were coming from the left, too. Nick pulled his revolver out of its holster and tried to see where the shots were coming from. Audra was beside him in a moment, lying as flat as she could get next to him.

"Are you hurt?" she asked urgently.

"I don't know," Nick said, still looking. "Keep a close eye out for movement. They'll be coming toward us now."

Audra did as she was told. Nick spotted a good rock to get behind a few feet away and urged her that way, while he crawled after her. His left leg and hip hurt. He prayed nothing was broken. He looked hard for their horses but didn't see them.

The horses gone. Him with a damaged leg. Two men with rifles closing in on them. Them with just one revolver between them. They were in very big trouble.

"Do you see anything?" Nick asked.

Audra raised her head and looked. "No, no, nothing."

Nick checked his gunbelt for how many shells he had left. Enough, he thought, for a while anyway.

Audra suddenly said, very quietly. "Listen. Someone's moving."

Through the brush, not far away.

Whoever had been shooting at them was coming.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Audra," Nick said quietly, "I want you to start running downhill as fast as you can, when I say 'now'."

Downhill was perpendicular to the sound of someone approaching. It was full of brush and undergrowth. It would be very tough going. "I don't know if I can make it through the brush," Audra said.

"You're gonna have to, and you're gonna have to run as fast as you can in that direction, for as far as you can, until you get to some help."

"What about you?"

"I'm gonna be firing at them. Now just do what I say, Audra. Even if you hear the firing stop, don't stop running until you hear me call you, you got that?"

Audra hesitated. "What about you?"

"Don't worry about me. I've got a gun. Now, when I say now, you go, all right?"

Audra still hesitated, but said, "All right."

"All right. NOW!"

Audra started running, and Nick started firing at the point in the bushes where the sound of movement had come from. It was only a second or two when rifle fire came back at him, from closer in the brush and from across the road where Audra had spotted the first rifle.

Nick concentrated on the nearest man, and when he ran out of ammunition, he reloaded as fast as he could and concentrated on the firing coming from across the road. Whoever that was was moving closer now, too, but staying on the other side of the road.

 _Run, Audra, run until you're safe,_ Nick kept thinking and then –

The man on his side of the road was visible, not ten feet away, in the brush. Nick fired three times before the man fired at him again, and he saw the man crash down onto the ground.

Nick scrambled to him fast and grabbed the rifle. The man was down for good. Nick rolled over in the bushes and they stabbed him hard in the back and in his arms and legs, but he had to get some idea of where the man on the other side of the road was. He watched – as much as he could see through the brush. He listened.

Something did move, almost directly across the road. Nick took a bead on it.

A rifle flashed, and a bullet zinged into the brush beside him. Nick took the shot, and someone gulped and went crashing to the ground over there.

Nick checked the man who had fallen beside him. The man was dead, shot twice in the torso. Nick saw his face – it was one of Pitt's buddies.

Painfully, Nick dragged himself to his feet. His leg and hip did not want to hold him up, but somehow he made it to the nearest tree and leaned against it for cover from the other side of the road.

But now what? How was he going to get across the road to see if the other man was really down. And Audra was still running – how was he ever going to find her again?

He heard someone coming on horseback, from the direction he and Audra had come. Nick put the rifle down and steadied his handgun against the tree for a good aim.

He saw McCall coming.

"Duke!" he yelled loud. "Watch it! On your right!"

The yell would have been too late. McCall pulled up almost directly in front of Nick, but no one fired at him. Nick stumbled out of the brush toward him.

"You all right?" McCall asked.

Nick nodded, but he was cut up from the brush and limping badly. Still, he cut in front of McCall and staggered to the place across the road where it looked like the other man went down.

He found him. It was Pitt's other buddy but he wasn't dead. He was hit in the side, but still breathing.

McCall hurried over to him as Nick took the man's rifle and sidearm away. "Where's Audra?" McCall asked urgently.

"Audra!" Nick yelled as loud as he could. "Audra, it's all right, come back!"

Dear God, he hoped she wasn't out of earshot.

She appeared on the road, about fifty yards back down the way they had come. She ran to Nick and almost knocked him down. She was as full of cuts and stabs from the underbrush as Nick was, but at least she had her feet. Nick's hip and leg were hurting something fierce.

"Did you see where your horses went?" McCall asked.

"No," Nick said. "I gotta sit down."

Audra helped him to a rock nearby.

As soon as he sat, Nick looked up at her. "I thought I told you to run downhill, not back along the road."

"You did," she said. "I didn't listen to you."

"Why not?!"

"I didn't want to leave you alone. I thought if I could get further back on the road I might be able to find some help."

"Aw, Audra, you could have been killed!"

"Well, if I had been, you never would have known it, because they'd have killed you first!"

McCall said, "Maybe you two better stop fussing at each other and worry about this character here and where your horses are."

"They must have run ahead, further up the road, if you didn't see them before you rode up," Nick said.

McCall said, "I'll go look," and remounted and left.

Audra went back to the man Nick had shot who was still alive.

"Audra, don't - !" Nick yelled.

Audra said, "Quit yelling, Nick. He's in no condition to hurt anyone."

She bent beside the man, saw he was pale and sweating and losing blood rapidly. She bent, pulled his shirt up out of his trousers and bunched it up to use as a means of stopping his blood loss.

"How is he?" Nick called.

"Bad," Audra said. "Are these two of the men you fired?"

"Yeah, but what in the world they ambushed us for, I don't know."

The man suddenly laughed and muttered, "Money. What else?"

Audra was startled. She collected herself and said, "If you thought you'd get the army money, you were wrong. That's already in the bank."

The man laughed again. "Figures. That idiot Pitt never did get us into anything but trouble."

The man went quiet. Audra put her hand on his chest and realized there would be no need to worry about him anymore. She started to tremble. She had not seen many men die in front of her. It took all the courage she could muster to make the trembling stop, but it did stop. She went back to Nick.

"He's dead," she said. "He said he was trying to rob us. Thought we had the army money with us."

Nick shook his head. "Idiots."

"Are you hurt bad?" Audra asked.

Nick shook his head again. "I don't think so. Landed on my leg and hip wrong, but I don't think anything's broken."

They heard someone coming down the road from up ahead. It was McCall, leading their horses. Nick struggled to his feet, allowing himself to lean on Audra a little for support.

McCall pulled up beside them, and Audra helped Nick to his horse. Nick awkwardly mounted from the right side of the horse, so he could use his right leg to get into the saddle. It took some doing, but he got up there.

As Audra mounted her horse, Nick said to McCall, "These guys are both dead. Pitt's buddies. You stay here, and I'll send the law back from the next town we get to."

"Lathrop's not far," McCall said. "Just send the sheriff back and get on home, get off that leg and get both of you cleaned up. You look terrible."

Nick nodded. "I can imagine. Thanks for the help, Duke."

McCall smiled. "I didn't do anything you couldn't have done all by yourself. But you two just get on home. I'll see you soon as I can."

Nick and Audra took off toward home again. The jarring of the horse made Nick's hip hurt like crazy, but he was determined to make it home. A warm bath and hot coffee and a sturdy walking cane sounded too good.


	10. Chapter 10 - Epilogue

Epilogue

Jarrod and Heath returned from New York and retrieved the buggy they had driven to town from the livery where they left it. They had arranged for some minor repairs to be done by the carriage repairman in Stockton while they were gone. Heath checked to see they were done properly while Jarrod paid the livery man.

"So you had a good trip, I hope?" the livery man asked.

Jarrod looked at Heath with a grin. "I'd say so. Hear anything from the ranch?"

"Yeah, some."

"Did something happen?" Heath asked quickly.

"Some excitement," the livery man said. "Not a real big thing, but it's best you let your family explain it."

Jarrod and Heath looked at each other and, once Heath gave the okay on the repairs, they hurried home.

Even forewarned, they were still surprised when they got to the house and found Nick in the living room, sitting in one of the armchairs with fluffy pillows under his rear end and his leg. Audra jumped up from the settee and came running to them. "Jarrod! Heath! Mother, they're home!"

Both Jarrod and Heath were even more surprised at Audra's appearance. She had brier cuts all over her face – it looked like she had the chicken pox.

"What in world happened to you?" Jarrod asked as she gave him a welcome hug.

"Oh, just a little adventure," she said and gave Heath a hug too.

"With what? A wildcat?" Heath asked.

"Just some briers and bushes," Audra said.

Jarrod and Heath came into the living room and saw Nick with the same marks all over his face, in addition to whatever it was that had happened to his leg and his butt. "Did you fight with the same bushes and lose?" Jarrod asked.

"Something like that," Nick said with a grin. "So, you're back now. Ready to get back to work now. About time."

Victoria came down from upstairs, saying, "I see you've seen how our two weeks without you have gone," as she kissed Jarrod and Heath.

"Pretty bad, it looks," Heath said.

"At least you two look like you had some rest and relaxation," Nick said, half sneering the words "rest" and "relaxation."

Jarrod plopped down in the armchair beside Nick's, while Victoria sat on the settee next to Audra and Heath remained standing. "We did indeed," Jarrod said. "And survived the big city a lot better than you two have survived the good old homefront."

"I'm just glad we're all here together again and in reasonably good shape," Victoria said. "Nick and Audra have told me about their adventures. How did yours go?"

She looked at Jarrod and Heath. Jarrod and Heath looked at each other. Then Jarrod looked at Nick, who looked away. It was then all the Barkley children realized that they all had some things to tell their mother, and some things they would NEVER tell their mother.

Heath said, "Well, New York was all I expected it to be, and quite a bit more."

"Go on," Victoria said. "I want to hear ALL about it, just as Nick and Audra told me ALL about their cattle drive to Salida."

All of her children knew that tone. She knew darned well she was never going to hear all of the truth about the way any of them had spent the last two weeks, and she was going to relish needling them about it every chance she got.

"Well, it's official," Jarrod said to Heath. "We're home."

THE END


End file.
